Ojo de bife, Carlitos Gardel Argentine Steakhouse, Melrose Ave., Los Angeles, Calif.
Another spin around the sun now begins!
You may have heard of Gardel, superstar tango singer & entertainer of the early 20th-century. He & Piazzolla stand-out for us as Names You Need to Know regarding the Argentine tango; Tournament of Champion-level esoterica! So, having this establishment named after Carlos Carlitos Gardel in Los Angeles would be something like encountering the Frank Sinatra Hoboken Homestyle Hash House set-up by some American expat in Myanmar or Macedonia, etc.
Anyway, it began with empanadas, something we are not normally fond of, and even at a resto of this time-honored quality, we still are not big fans.
Better was the gourmet-type preparation of the Caesar salad. Real romaine, cut lengthwise, brushed, not drowned, in authentic yolk-forward dressing, real silver-skin anchovy on top. So many places nowadays forget that you need the anchovy for a real Caesar salad, and that you should have a full leaf (or, in this case, half a head) of romaine cut lengthwise. This was top-notch! The only thing that could have made it better? A
As for the other appetizers, one of our Latina dining companions went full-native, having the lengua! She said it was the real deal. Probably she is good at eating oxtail & other such delicacies; someday we might find out! Indeed, she is known to enjoy the various insect stalls along the street-food scene in Mesoamerica.
Of course, you have to have the provenzal anything, and being notorious addicts of the stinking rose, cloves & heads upon heads & cloves of garlic, raw, cooked, roasted, sautéed, you name it, we chose to have some perfect twice-fried shoestring potatoes to go along with the garlic. (Note: When we are slumming and going to a more workaday Argentine resto nearby, we also go for the provenzal, smothering a charcoal-grilled breast of chicken instead.)
Red meat is the only way to fly at Carlitos Gardel Argentine Steakhouse, though, and that meat is gloriously grilled to a beautiful char on the outside but still bloody-red rare on the inside. Ours was a ribeye glazed with honest-to-goodness chimichurri, and just oozing with juice, flavor & tenderness; unparalleled mouthfeel, and an explosion for the tastebuds thereafter. You can have your filet and its marshmallow softness, but the marbling & fat just aren’t there; always opt for the strip or a ribeye so you can guarantee a beef-tasting experience.
Creamed spinach here is a concession to the North American steakhouse, but it’s not an afterthought, either. Rather than chop the spinach to unrecognizable bits, the leaf is kept whole, stem, ribs & all, and it reminds you that you are indeed eating a green vegetable and not just whole cream & cheese.
Washing all this richness down: the native Malbec, sweet & dark-fruited, nearly like liquified raisins, bordering on port. Unbeatable.
You could not eat like this every day or even every week, but once or twice a year…something to savor!
BestLine Racing Society Recap:
Chas. Town, DelPark, Presque, Thistle & Woodbine earlier.
At Stanton, Del., #4 Bodontknow (.172 / 4.81 / 5.98) at least knew enough to upset Race 4 at $22.40. Then in Race 6, #8 Rich’s Way (.154 / 5.49 / 8.09) led to the winner’s circle at $29.40.
From Erie, Penna., #3 Two Hearted (.408 / 1.45 / 1.94) beat strongest in Race 6 at $5.80; yea, verily, this was 8¢ shy of the recommended $5.88 premium price, but maybe you concluded it was the cost of doing business, so you ate that 8¢ — we report, you decide. Not a borderline issue, however, was the exacta in this race, completed by #1 Now I’m Here (.201 / 3.98 / 5.97) and returning $93.20 in real life; the premium price on that comboa (comboa!) was figured at $27.04.
Finally over to Race 6 from Etobicoke Int’l.; in it, #2 Pioneer’s Edge (.254 / 2.94 / 3.72) wielded same over his rivals at $9.50.
BestLine Racing Society Nightcap:
Remington this time.
Strongshots
28Sep23 6RP
28Sep23 8RP
Longshots
28Sep23 1RP
28Sep23 7RP
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